Formats
Use these formats to teach subjects across the curriculum through lively, focussed discussions. These structured activities can be more effective than, or a good change from, more traditional class, group and pair discussion.
Focusing in
If you want to spend some lessons on really focused development of various building blocks of oracy, we also have resources for building discrete oracy skills.
Outside the classroom
Check out our ideas for improving oracy in a co-curricular setting.
Lesson Plans
Use our plans to create dynamic and exciting lessons, full of opportunities for speaking and listening.
Humanities
English
- Noughts and Crosses Newsroom
- Frankenstein Argument stations
- Romeo and Juliet debates (on the Shakespeare Week website)
Case studies of secondary schools
We’ve visited various schools across the country which have all successfully embedded oracy into the culture of their school. Read about they’ve done it and take away tips for your school.
- Clapton Girls’ Academy
- Wensleydale School and Sixth Form
- Swakeleys School For Girls
- Ibstock Place School
- Hinchingbrooke School
- King Edward VI School
- Sir William Burrough School
Debating in the classroom
Debating can be a fantastic way to really develop students analytical skills and confidence when speaking. If they really catch the debating bug, why not set up your own debating club?
- Five steps for preparing a debate with a class
- Top ten style tips for persuasive speaking
- Questions to ask yourself while debating
- Using an hour to prepare for a debate
- How do I speak for up to five minutes?
- Different forms of rebuttal
- Rebuttal worksheets
- Guidance for chairpersons in a debate
- Note-writing frames for 3-a-side debates
- Note-writing frames for BP (British Parliamentary) debates
Oracy Videos
Full debates can be a great way to teach the debating format and slowly build your students’ confidence, or you can target their listening skills by getting them to watch and judge one of the debates.
Show one of our games before giving your students a chance to try it out themselves.